The Legendary Sword Of Kuron
by MikachiTarochi
Summary: It's Shizuo's sixteenth birthday, and a tragedy ruins it. People die, people who are important to him, and the culprit escapes. He goes after them, finds a legendary sword, and meets a few people along the way. Will he avenge his family? Is this new companion his soul mate? Crappy summary. Shizaya. AU to the extreme, medieval times. HIATUS 'till i get my shit together.
1. Ketsueki Akai Sakura

**Mikachi: I got this story idea from a very unnerving nightmare of mine xD the nightmare is pretty much going to be chapter 2 except different characters to fit this story line :D Oh, 'Ketsueki Akai Sakura' is Blood Red Cherry Blossom(s) in Japanese. If my sources were correct ^u^**

**Disclaimer: I do not own DuRaRaRa! obviously.  
**

* * *

Ketsueki Akai Sakura

There was once a murderous five, two women and three men. Each one specialized in a certain weapon and used that weapon in ways that no one would think possible. Meroko was the first woman to join the group, and her weapon was a pair of twin daggers with which she slashed at incredible speeds. Two men, Natsu and Kanata, joined at the same time for they worked together before the group formed. Natsu used bombs, all kinds of bombs. From bombs that you could hardly see but made craters the size of a whole city to bombs that were large and meant to frighten, but only left one wounded. Kanata used a bow and arrow, sometimes on fire or with a deadly poison on the tip. The second woman named Izumi used shurikens, she gained pleasure in seeing the shock on people's faces when they saw the small weapon seconds before they fell to the ground, lifeless. And then there was the leader. He called himself Kai, a simple name that struck fear into the hearts of others just by hearing it whispered. Kai used a sword, a sword that had its own legend, a legend that you will soon know.

The group didn't exactly have uniforms, but close to it. They all wore black tattered coats with a bloody sakura on the back to symbolize who they were. The men preferred to wear black cargo pants and black boots. Natsu wears a white shirt, Kanata a green, and Kai a red. Izumi wears a blue shirt and Meroko wears a yellow. Izumi and Meroko both wear black shorts and knee-high black boots.

None of them looked similar, in fact they were very different. Natsu and Kanata had jet black hair, but Natsu had brown eyes while Kanata's eyes were closer to green. Meroko was blonde with blue eyes, while Izumi had reddish-brown eyes and snowy white hair. Kai had bright red spiky hair and blue eyes.

The group made their living by destroying and killing everything they saw. They were the definition of fear and destruction. However, they made the mistake of destroying a village that was under the control of a ruthless demon. This demon's name was Kuron. Kuron was angry, but decided to make a contract with them. Kuron said he would give Kai his sword, which gave its holder special powers depending on the person, if he kept killing. The reason for this was that whenever a human was killed with this sword, the sword would send their soul to Kuron so he could devour it. What Kuron didn't know, however, was that the sword had a mind of its own and could choose its wielder. The sword had survived through centuries of being passed between wielders. The sword chose Kuron, whether he knew it or not, and could choose not to take the souls of its victims. The legend of its greatness has been passed through generations, for it was known as a holy sword. When Kuron said that he would give Kai his sword, the sword could sense that choosing Kai would lead it to its next owner. Its next owner had been awakened, but the sword would not get to him for a few years. And thus, Ketsueki Akai Sakura was born, still killing through the years until the sword found its new owner.

* * *

**Mikachi: Yes, I know that nobody from DRRR has come in yet, but next chapter they will :D In case you haven't noticed yet or read the summary, this is an AU xD I doubt anyone has missed that yet tho LAWL**

**Mikachi/Edit: Sorry, looked everywhere for a picture of shizuo or one of personality/clone thingys holding a sword and couldnt find one :( so i got stuck with this cover. :\  
**


	2. The New Wielder

**Mikachi: Warnings, this chapter is sad if I did well. Involves character death with a side of unexpected depressing factor. :( I hate the dream I had, but it just screamed 'you have to make this a story!' lol And Shizuo doesn't have his strength in this story, he's just a normal guy. Who can totally have random moments of extremely awesome martial art skills that he never even knew existed. Pfft, who doesn't do that? *whistling***

**Tarochi: Spoiler alert. Lol.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own DuRaRaRa! if i did, it would be a longer series xD  
**

* * *

The New Wielder

**A few years later…**

Shizuo opened his eyes slowly and looked at the morning light pouring in from the window. He sat up and saw his mom and brother sleeping in the other bed across the room. His brother, Kasuka, was about eight months old, and Shizuo loved him to no end, even adored him. Shizuo smiled widely as he remembered that it was his sixteenth birthday today. How could he forget? This would be the greatest day of his life! When you turn sixteen, you officially become a man in the village. Shizuo could finally get a good job and start supporting his family. The people in the village would probably start saying he should get married soon, but he just didn't think that way about any of the girls in the village. In fact, he had always felt awkward around all girls but his mother, so he was quite relieved when Kasuka turned out to be a boy.

Shizuo stood up and slid into his clothes quietly so as not to wake his mother. He walked into the kitchen-like area in the next room and started cooking breakfast. When he finished, he went back into the bedroom to find his mother awake and playing with Kasuka, who was smiling widely at his mother's goofy expression.

"Morning mom," Shizuo said, smiling widely at Kasuka.

"Good morning, Shizuo," She said, handing Kasuka to him as she stood up, "Happy birthday!"

"Thanks. Breakfast is on the table," He said, throwing Kasuka up in the air a couple of times.

"It's your birthday, you should let me make it next time," She said, frowning and wagging her finger at him, "Besides, I need to make your cake! You're going to love it."

"Of course I am, mom. It's _your _cooking, how could I not?" Shizuo asked, smiling and following her into the kitchen, "But remember that we have to be quiet, Ketsueki Akai Sakura is supposed to be near town."

"I'm sure they won't come through here, but we can never be too careful. It'll just be me, you, and Kasuka here," She said, "Now go play with your brother while I bake your birthday cake."

"Okay. Just be careful not to burn yourself," He said, walking into the other room and playing with his brother.

In a few hours, they had eaten the cake and taken a walk, Kasuka smiling at the villagers they passed. The three were in front of their house when they suddenly heard a scream.

"Help! It's the Ketsue -" The man didn't get to finish his sentence, a gruesome sound of flesh being torn echoed through the town before the chaos started. There were screams everywhere and Shizuo grabbed his mother, who was holding Kasuka, and ran into his house, locking the door behind them.

Shizuo motioned his mother to hide below the window with him, panic on his face. They were on the slope of a hill, so if Shizuo looked up a little he could see down the road. Their window was also very low on the wall, which could be bad or good depending if the Ketsueki Akai Sakura were still in town.

Kasuka was luckily staying very quiet, but he was starting to get a whiny look on his face as if he was about to cry.

"Shhh, shhh, it's okay, Kasuka," His mother cooed him, trying not to be loud.

Shizuo peeked out the window to see if they were gone. His eyes widened when he saw the figures a few houses down, facing away from him. He glanced around and saw that most of the villagers were lying on the ground, covered in blood and probably dead.

Shizuo nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard a shout, but soon realized it was someone across the street from his house.

"Hey, murderers! You can't just kill anyone you see, we all have lives and family!" A man yelled as he ran towards the group. One of the women, she had bright white hair and her eyes looked red to Shizuo, even from down the street, spun around swiftly and threw four small weapons.

Time seemed to slow down to Shizuo as his eyes trailed the four deadly stars, watching three of them sail into the mans neck. His eyes widened as he watched the fourth fly all the way up to his house, through his window, and into the back of Kasuka's head.

Shizuo stared at his brother, his mouth wide open in shock. His mother looked at Shizuo, at Kasuka, and back at Shizuo again. Kasuka smiled a small smile at his brother before his head fell limp over his mother's arm. The shuriken in the back of his head scratched his mother's arm, but she didn't notice.

"Wait, no…that didn't _really _happen, did it? Ahaha, that was just my imagination! Kasuka's…just taking a nap…" His mother said, her eyes tearing up as she smiled at Shizuo.

Shizuo just stared at his mother holding his brother, barely registering the voices of the group.

"Hey, Izumi, looks like your aim is getting worse," Said a red-haired man, swinging his sword over his shoulder.

"Shut up, Kai, my shurikens have a spell on them. It probably hit some stray dog or something," She said, glaring at the man.

Shizuo turned back to his mother as he realized she was getting up. He tried to stop her, but before he could act, she had run out the door, screaming and waving her free arm. Without even looking, the woman named Izumi threw another star that landed in the middle of her forehead. She fell backwards in what seemed like slow motion to Shizuo.

He looked down the street and saw the group laughing, but it all felt far away to him. It hadn't even registered in his mind that the only family of his had just been taken in the flick of a wrist.

Shizuo stood and walked to his front door, his limbs hanging limply at his sides like a zombie. Tears started pouring down his cheeks as he walked down the street, the group not noticing him behind them. When he started laughing like a maniac and crying at the same time, they turned around and looked at him oddly.

"Hey, Meroko, what do you think is up with this guy?" Izumi asked, leaning her arm on the other's shoulder.

"Hell if I should know. Can we just kill him already?" Meroko asked, holding up her daggers like a fork and knife, smiling.

Shizuo's vision went black and white, blurry at the edges as if looking through plastic. The only think not black or white was the red of Izumi's eyes. They looked as if they were glowing, driving him into insanity as they bore holes into his soul.

"You…You killed them. Heehee, they're dead! All of them…But it was…_you_," Shizuo said, lifting up a shaky finger to point at Izumi.

"That's it, I'm getting bored of this nutcase," Kanata said, aiming his bow at Shizuo's chest. They rest of them charged towards Shizuo, going in for the kill.

Shizuo giggled, and lept forward with more agility than any of them had seen before. The shock soon wore off and they started charging him again, angry that he even considered fighting them. Natsu was a few inches from Shizuo, about to place a bomb on his shirt, when Shizuo placed his foot on Natsu's neck, creating a sickening crack. Meroko was the next to come for Shizuo, but she was more cautious. She lashed out at him and created a large slash across his forehead, only to have her wrist grabbed as he brought his other fist to her gut, making her kneel on the ground. Shizuo swung his foot in the air and brought it down on her head, splattering his shoe with blood.

Kanata scowled and shot an arrow at Shizuo's face, but was shocked when Shizuo grabbed it inches from its mark. Shizuo turned and looked at Kanata crookedly, smiling through the blood covering his face. He wheeled his arm back and threw the arrow at an incredible speed, sending it straight through Kanata's left eye.

"Well, guess it's my turn now," Kai said, grunting.

He reached down and unsheathed his sword, swinging it a few times before charging at Shizuo, screaming. With the state Shizuo was in, he failed to realize that the sword was as big as Kai himself and razor sharp, decorated with a red ruby on the hilt and a red streak down the center of the blade. No, Shizuo didn't notice how terrifying Kai was with his eyes narrowed and his sword swinging in the air like a snake. Because Kai would be nothing in a matter of seconds. Shizuo laughed one last time before he ducked under Kai's sword and stuck his fingers into the man's eye sockets. He flattened his other hand and chopped the pressure point between Kai's shoulder blade and neck, killing him instantly.

Shizuo hadn't noticed that in the midst of the battle, Izumi had run into the forest and away from the battle she knew she could not win. He fell onto his knees, surrounded by the corpses of the four murderers. Shizuo himself was now a murderer. His vision suddenly returned to normal, and he lifted up his hands to look at the blood pooling in his palms.

"No…no, no, no. That…I…what…?" He asked himself, looking around. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something glowing.

Shizuo turned around swiftly, sitting on the blood-covered ground and backing away franticly. His eyes focused on the glowing object, and he realized that it was Kai's sword. It looked like it was…shrinking? No, the blade was getting smaller, but wider. The hilt grew a little, almost like it was making itself fit Shizuo. The ruby on the hilt turned into a bright emerald, so beautiful that Shizuo had to stare. Emerald green swirls started to form along the edge of the blade, and the glowing faded out quickly.

Shizuo stood and slowly walked over to the sword, placing his hand on the hilt as if to pick it up. He felt a deep, shaking feeling in his core, as if telling him to pick it up. Shizuo slowly lifted the sword, and was surprised to find that it weighed very little. Glancing over at Kai's corpse, he noticed that the sheath had also changed, matching the sword. Shizuo walked to Kai's corpse and lifted the sheath from his waist, buckling it onto himself and inserting the sword. A perfect fit.

Shizuo didn't know what was going on, but when he looked up and saw his family's corpses, he knew he had to get out of there before he went insane with grief. Tears poured down his cheeks and he turned and ran into the forest, not knowing where he was going.

* * *

**Mikachi: wow…T.T…that was depressing. I had to end the chapter here because my computer time is up and I didn't want to make it longer than 9 'Microsoft Word' pages :l**


	3. The Stranger with Red Eyes

**Mikachi: well, I just realized I have the attention span of a two year old. I have this spur of imagination and I love a story and I write a few chapters and then. Get. Bored. :( So chances are I might get bored of this story, but since its so awesome and I planned it out this time xD IM SHTICKIN WITH ET. Sorry if you cannot understand my language, but youll know if u read that out loud xD Ok, finishing the ramble. Time for epicness…after the disclaimer xD For character point of view switch, it's (!) and for time skip its (-) just to make it clear ^.^**

**Disclaimer: I do not own DuRaRaRa! **

The Stranger with Red Eyes

Shizuo ran into the woods in a random direction, not even paying attention to the fact that he was wounded. He was afraid, and he felt like he had nothing left. Just wanting to get away from the scene of the disaster, he flew through the bushes for miles, running for hours with no destination.

He soon had to slow down as he could feel pain growing in his head. Shizuo's vision started to blur, but he kept staggering and limping through the woods in the opposite direction of his village. The village he called home, Zerrok.

Remembering the name of his village, he felt like crying again but was all cried out. He didn't have any more tears to shed even if he wanted to.

Shizuo turned around sharply as he heard the crack of a branch. He looked around, but everything was blurry and tinted red. Confused, he reached up to his forehead and sucked in air as he felt a sharp pain. He faintly remembered being cut by somebody…but that was not important right now.

"Who's…Who's there?" He called groggily, his hand going to his sheathed sword.

"You're hurt," a voice said matter-of-factly. Shizuo couldn't tell whether it was man or woman, but he didn't really care. The voice echoed all around Shizuo, so he couldn't tell where the person was hiding. The fact that it was night didn't help Shizuo find the voice, either.

"Sh…Show yourself!" Shizuo said, trying to sound menacing, but he was quickly losing consciousness. _I have to stay awake, I know that much! _He thought frantically to himself. Shizuo spun around slowly, looking in all directions for the other person.

**(!)**

The other person smirked, watching the blonde man from the trees. It could tell that he was about to faint. The fool was staggering around like a drunk, covered in blood, with his hand on his sword sheath. The voice decided that the man wouldn't be able to defend himself even if he tried. It squinted at the sword, and was momentarily shocked as he saw what it was. _Ah…So he is the new wielder of Kuron. _Smirking, the voice made its decision.

**(!)**

Shizuo still wasn't having any luck finding the voice, but he knew it was still nearby. The hair on the back of his neck stood up, and he turned around. There was nothing there, just like he expected. He could tell that he was going to lose consciousness very soon because his eyes were already closing from exhaustion.

"Show…yourself, damn it," He said quietly, hoping it might work. The last thing he saw before he passed out was a pair of red eyes staring at him from the shadows. Then he fell limply to the forest floor.

**Mikachi: Okay, I need to end it here. This is THE perfect place for questions! We only know two people with red eyes…is it Izumi coming to avenge her comrades, maybe finish what she started? Or is it cheeky Izaya, who may be a little OOC in this story XD you'll have to wait to find out…maybe an hour. xD**


	4. Fairy Tales

**Mikachi: Ugh this chapter is going to be hard. I can sense it. Sorry for the long wait! :x**

**Disclaimer: I do not own DuRaRaRa!**

Fairy Tales

Shizuo awoke to the sound of movement. He tried to remember where he was, but the last thing he could remember was a pair of red eyes…it had to be that woman, Izumi! _It's her fault…I'm alone now. _Shizuo decided that he needed to attack, but catch her by surprise. He heard the shuffle of footsteps one more time and sat up quickly, but didn't get farther than that, falling back onto the bed. Reaching his hand up to his forehead, he felt bandages. Why would that woman try to help him?

"Well, well, well. Looks like you're awake," The same voice from the forest said. Shizuo looked around, and saw a man standing in the doorway to the small room. He had black hair, pointy ears, and bright red eyes. More disturbing than his eyes, however, was the red imp-like tail coming from his tailbone.

"Where am I? Who are you? Why did you help me?" Shizuo asked, spewing out questions frantically. He looked around, trying to locate his sword as it was not attached to his belt like it should be.

"You are obviously in the treetops of the forest, if you had the brain to look out the window, and my name Izaya. Izaya Orihara," The man said, smirking and walking into the room, his tail swishing behind him, "Your sword is out of reach because I would rather not be injured should you decide I am your enemy."

"Alright, Izaya, why did you help me?" Shizuo asked slowly, getting up from the bed to wash his face in the bucket of water on the floor next to him.

"Because you are the new wielder," Izaya responded casually, as if that was an obvious answer.

"The what?" Shizuo asked once he had finished washing his face and hands.

"The new wielder. You have been chosen by the Sword of Kuron, so therefore I must stay by your side and aid you in any quest you may choose to pursue. Like killing the witch, Izumi," He stated, walking over and sitting on the floor in front of Shizuo.

"How did you know about her? And what do you mean, the Sword of Kuron? That's just an old fairy tale. Just like fairies, dwarves, elves, dragons, and demons. Fake," Shizuo said, starting to get irritated by Izaya's haughtiness.

"Elves are not fairy tales!" Izaya scoffed indignantly, "I am half elf! I suppose you think imps are fairy tales, too? What a protozoan head."

"What the hell?" Shizuo shouted, his eyes widening, "You're an elf? That's not possible! And imps aren't real, either!"

Izaya stared at Shizuo accusingly, held his tail up next to him, and pointed to it. "You were saying? I will have you know, my mother was an elf and my father was an imp. I will not tolerate racist comments, thank you very much, you idiotic brute."

"Tch, I'm not a brute. I'm starting to believe that you're half imp. I still think the elf part is a lie, though, I don't care _how _pointy your ears are," Shizuo said, rolling his eyes.

"I have proof. I assume you've heard the legends about elves having nature abilities? Well, see and be shocked, Shizuo," Izaya said, pointing at the window and twirling his finger in swirls, muttering under his breath. Shizuo watched skeptically as a vine grew into the window and carried an apple into Izaya's hand.

"…Alright, fine, you're an elf. You are here to…I don't know, help me kill Izumi or something. All fairy tales are real. I give up, I can't argue with what I just saw," Shizuo said, turning to eye Izaya's tail thoughtfully, "But your tail is so weird. It's not even scales, and why does it look like an arrow?"

Shizuo reached out and got about an inch from Izaya's tail when Izaya suddenly noticed and back-flipped across the room.

"Don't. Touch. The. Tail," He said, his voice dripping anger.

"Jeez, fine. You afraid I'm going to break it or something? You looked pretty scared when you flipped away. I was just curious," Shizuo said, putting his hands in the air defensively.

"Just do me a favor and stay away from my tail. Got it? I would tell you why, but it's imp code or something. And you really don't need to know," Izaya said, sighing, "Well, now that we've established that I will be with you for a while, and I don't think you have anywhere to go," He eyed Shizuo for any objections but continued when he didn't sense any, "This is your new home. Granted we won't be here for a while once we leave on this oh-so-fun sounding journey."

"I'm going to be staying with _you_? You aren't exactly fun to be around. And you smell weird," Shizuo said, wrinkling his nose.

"I don't smell! How could you even smell me from across the room? And in case you haven't noticed, you're very rude. You think that makes people like you?" Izaya said angrily, stomping until he was standing in front of Shizuo.

"I don't care if that makes people like me, I'm used to it. I was always an outcast in the village. All I had was my…family…" He trailed off, looking down so that his hair covered his eyes.

"…Look, the sooner you defeat the witch the sooner you feel better. We should set off to find her soon. But only once you feel better," He said, shifting from foot to foot, not knowing what to do. Izaya gingerly placed a hand on Shizuo's head, ruffling the man's hair.

"Yeah, thanks. I should be good to go tomorrow…" Shizuo said, half smiling at Izaya.

**Mikachi: So…not sure what I wanted to accomplish in this chapter…but our adventurers set off in the next chapter! Insert cheesy old movie background voice here…**


	5. Wheatfield

**Mikachi: Haha! I'm proud of myself. I'm making a chapter map for this story and a 'creature dictionary' to keep track of all the weird little guys running around in here xD So now it's REALLY planned and I won't have to worry half as much. I don't know why I didn't do this for my stories sooner. Fail x3**

**Disclaimer: I do not own DuRaRaRa!**

Wheatfield

"Izaya?" Shizuo groggily sat up and rubbed his eyes, looking around the treehouse for his companion. He stood and walked to the window when he didn't hear a response, thinking the imp might be outside. Looking out the window, he saw that he was right. Izaya was placing fruit in a sack that was slung over his shoulder. Shizuo smiled, thinking it looked kind of cool. Izaya would lift his open palm and say something , Shizuo guessed he was speaking Elven, and when he spoke it sounded like three more people were speaking with him. The man would then twirl his finger and a fruit would fall into his hand.

"Izaya! What are you doing?" Shizuo asked curiously, still leaning on the windowsill.

"What does it look like, protozoan? Gathering food for our journey," Izaya said, stopping his gathering and walking to the foot of the treehouse, "If you are feeling better, we should set off soon."

"Yeah, I'm feeling fine. But don't call me a protostome, Flea," Shizuo said, sneering as he sheathed his sword and buckled it to his belt.

"I hope you realize you just called yourself spineless, but okay," Izaya chuckled, calling a vine in front of Shizuo, "Grab on. Wait, did you just call me 'Flea'?"

"Yes. You annoy me like a Flea. How do I know you won't drop me half way down?" Shizuo said, raising an eyebrow at the imp below him.

"Don't call me that. And, well, then you would probably be injured more, and that would slow us down. I _hate _being outside of my forest, so it would be nice to get through this journey as fast as possible. I'm dreading going on this expedition, so I want to start and end it already. Also, if you break a leg, I'd have to help you walk, and you look heavy," Izaya said, exasperated, "Now will you just grab onto the vine already?"

"Fine," Shizuo said, holding tightly onto the vine with his arms and legs, "I just wanted one reason, not a rant."

When Shizuo finally reached the ground, he breathed a sigh of relief. After a moment's thought, he decided he could at least try to trust Izaya. After all, the imp had saved him, given him food and shelter, and was going on the journey with him. If they were going to be together for that long, they should at least trust each other.

"Well, we should probably get to the next town tomorrow afternoon," Izaya said, looking upwards at the canopy as if he could see through them.

"What are you looking at?" Shizuo asked curiously, he had noticed Izaya.

"The sky. I forgot to tell you, but I can see with the trees. I see what they see if I choose to. That's how I know where the towns are and I can watch all the humans~!" Izaya said, throwing up his arms and spinning in a circle.

"That's sick. You're like a stalker or something. For the human race," Shizuo said, wrinkling his nose at the twirling elf.

"Eh? I am not! They're just so interesting, I can't help myself! So predictable in their daily lives!" He said, getting louder with each word until he broke into a maniacal laugh.

"I'm sleeping with my eyes open now," Shizuo said, wondering why he was with this weirdo.

"Don't worry, I don't consider you human. The sword chose you, so you are different. You now have powers that no human should possess," Izaya said, stopping his laugh abruptly, "You will discover them in due time. It depends what element you feel strong near."

"What? Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Shizuo said, his eyes widening, "Is there anything else I should know?"

"Well, I don't know if this is important, but I inherited fire powers from my father. I _am _a little devil from hell," He said, squinting and smiling evilly with his pointy teeth, pointing downwards and wiggling his fingers. Shizuo clutched his stomach as he tried to hold in his laughter.

"So, have you felt stronger or more comfortable near a certain element recently?" Izaya said, placing his hands back in his pockets and looking up at Shizuo sideways.

"Nope. Not that I can think of. Maybe when I got back on the ground from that treehouse, but that's a given, right?" Shizuo said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Probably. Well, it looks like it's getting dark already. We should probably start setting up camp. Hold on, I'll find a good treetop to sleep in," Izaya closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, he had a faraway look in his eyes and he was speaking elven again. After a minute or two, he blinked at looked at Shizuo, smiling. "Found a place. It's that way, and it shouldn't take that long to get there."

"Cool. That really comes in handy, Izaya," Shizuo said, following behind him.

"Yes. Yes it does. Here we are!" Izaya said, pointing to the top of a large tree, "This shouldn't take long."

Shizuo decided to look around while he waited, so he walked around the other side of the tree. He hummed a random tune in his head, and started skipping over tree roots until he found a patch of mushrooms.

"Aha! I can be a nature man, too, it seems," Shizuo said, grinning and picking them up. He looked around, and he realized he was lost, "…Fuck."

"Izaya! Where are you?" He shouted, hoping that the imp would hear him. Shizuo thought hard and headed back in the direction he came from, still holding onto the mushrooms, "Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit…" He muttered, scanning the trees around him.

Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw a red arrow. Shizuo turned towards it, and reached out to grab it, hoping it was what he thought it was.

"Gah!" Izaya shouted, trying to cover up a different sound while sounding much like a startled little girl, "What did I tell you about my tail?" He shouted, his voice high pitched and strained, his face painted with worry, "Can…you _please_…let go…of my tail?" He asked between breaths, his fists clenching.

"Oh, yeah!" Shizuo said, letting go of Izaya's tail, "Sorry, I got lost, wanted to make sure it was you…" He said, rubbing the back of his head. As soon as Shizuo's grip was gone, Izaya sighed and loosened up.

"Alright. Next time, just look. Do me a favor and just don't touch my tail. And don't ask why. Anyways, camp is set up," Izaya said, pointing to the two hammocks slung between the trees, "Here."

Shizuo caught the two apples that Izaya had thrown him, "Thanks." He ate the apples and went to bed shortly after, completely exhausted.

**-(-)-**

It was the next day, and they had been walking for hours without any arguments. Shizuo was getting anxious about learning his new powers, he wanted to discover them already. Just as he was about to speak up, there was a break in the trees.

"Welcome to Wheatfield," Shizuo said, reading the sign next to them, "What a weird name for a town."

"I've heard weirder. There's a baker here that could probably give us a place to stay, I've watched him before and he's usually nice to travelers," Izaya said, looking at the town from the top of the hill they stood on, "Well, let's go."

Shizuo nodded, and started walking with a determined face. He was hoping that somebody knew about where Izumi was, he just wanted to face her already.

**Mikachi: Fufufu, cliffhanger. I'm just mean like that. I hope this chapters long enough ^u^**


	6. The Shlork

**Mikachi: it feels like forever since ive updated. I reality, its been three or four days depending on when I actually upload this. Right now im just writing for the hell of it cuz I feel melancholy :l well, enjoy. Im trying REALLY hard to make this story last, so tell me if it seems that im not including enough detail and its just speeding through. In a bad way. *stopping the ramble now***

**Also, I've always wanted to say this and keep forgetting…Homophobes- FUCK OFF. This 'my story :3**

**Disclaimer: I do not own DuRaRaRa!**

The Shlork

Shortly before they got into town, Izaya had tucked his tail under his shirt so he looked as normal as he could considering he still had pointy ears, and his eyes had the same pupils of a cat, which was quite disturbing since they were red. Izaya walked into a bakery, Shizuo trailing behind, and went straight to the man behind the counter. Shizuo took a closer look and realized the baker looked more like a small boy, maybe fourteen. Certainly too young to be owning his own shop, but he wasn't one to judge, so he ignored it, placing his hands in his pockets and opting to glance around the shop.

"Hello, Mikado," Izaya said casually, leaning against the counter in front of the boy.

"I-I'm sorry, do I know you, s-sir?" The boy named Mikado asked, obviously nervous under Izaya's gaze.

"Why, Mikado, how could you forget me?" Izaya fake gasped, placing a hand on his heart as if he was hurt. Then he smirked and his tail slowly started waving around behind him, making itself obvious.

"Oh, I-Izaya! How nice to see you again," Mikado said, recognizing the man with the tail, "What may I do for you?"

"Me and my companion here need a place to stay, but we don't have any coins. Do you need a favor done or something?" Izaya asked, standing up straight and looking down at Mikado.

"Well, there is something, but…" Mikado bit his lip nervously while Izaya just stared at him, waiting, "There's been a demon running around my shop lately at night, I can hear it but I'm too afraid to do anything. When I come back out in the morning, everything seems to be rearranged. Sometimes even my bedroom is different, I could wake up in bed on the other side of the room. It's very unnerving because whenever I try to tell someone, everything is back to the way it was. People are starting to think I've gone insane, and I'm to the point where I almost agree with them. I will gladly give you a place to stay and food for as long as it takes if you just get rid of this pesky demon. I'm sorry I don't know what it looks like."

"Okay, sounds easy enough. Show us to our room and we'll start looking for it tonight," Izaya said, catching Shizuo's attention. Shizuo stood behind Izaya, hands in his pockets, looking at Izaya's tail waving around.

"Okay. Thank you very much," Mikado said, bowing and walking up a small staircase in the corner. Shizuo and Izaya followed, and were lead down a short hallway where Mikado opened a door to the right. Izaya and Shizuo walked inside, Izaya setting his satchel down on one of the beds.

"See you later, Mikado. Thanks for the room," Izaya said, waving his hand as the door closed behind him.

"This will be all too easy. We should be out of here tomorrow," Izaya said, turning to face Shizuo.

"How? We don't know anything about the monster," Shizuo said, raising an eyebrow at Izaya skeptically.

"Did you forget that I like watching my humans? I know when the demon goes into this bakery, I know when it leaves, and I know what it looks like more or less. I admit that it was night, so the most I could catch is that it has the normal anatomy of a human but is about three feet tall. It also has bright red hair, but that's about it," Izaya said, sighing as if it should be obvious that he was watching.

"So…it's a really small redhead?" Shizuo said, putting it much simpler.

"Yes. It's a really small redhead," Izaya said, then turned and muttered under his breath, "Protozoan head."

"I heard that, pointy ears."

**-(-)-**

Izaya sat up, already fully awake. He looked at Shizuo, who was still asleep. Shizuo faced away from Izaya, a peaceful look on his face, curled in a ball, with a puddle of drool on the pillow next to his mouth. His hair was flying in all directions around his head, and he had his arms wrapped around his extra pillow in a bear hug. Izaya chuckled, shaking his head at how silly he looked.

"Shizuo, wake up," He said, standing next to the bed and looking at the sleeping man. Shizuo merely rolled over and groaned a bit.

"Shizuo, wake up. Right now, or I'll leave you in here for the demon to have his way with you," Izaya said more firmly, tapping Shizuo on the shoulder gently.

"Mmm," He groaned, and before Izaya could react, he had been pulled down onto the bed and was trapped in Shizuo's arms. Shizuo smiled, and nuzzled his face into Izaya's hair. Izaya was frozen, his eyes widened in shock. A blush was creeping onto his face, and he was processing what happened for a full minute before he freaked out.

Izaya whimpered and tried to escape, but Shizuo just wrapped his arms around him tighter, pinning Izaya's back to his chest. Shizuo's chin was on top of Izaya's head and he had one arm around Izaya's chest, his other around Izaya's stomach. Izaya was still freaking out, and it was getting very awkward for him considering his tail was pinned against Shizuo's bare chest. Shizuo happily drifted off deeper into sleep, not realizing that what he cuddled wasn't a pillow.

"Shizuooo, let me goo," Izaya whined, trying to get the man's arms to lessen their grip. He did _not _like that his tail was being touched, especially by Shizuo. If he couldn't get away soon, he was going to lose it. He finally gave up and opted for something that he rather wouldn't do.

Izaya turned his head so that he was facing Shizuo's right arm. He closed his eyes, whined one last time, and bit down on Shizuo's forearm, hard enough to break skin.

"Ow!" Shizuo jolted awake, shouting in Izaya's ear in pain. Izaya took the chance to scramble away from him quickly, landing on the floor none too gently, "What was that- oh. Uh…sorry about that. But you didn't have to bite me!"

"Yes I did, I tried everything, and my _tail _was _pinned _to your _chest!_" Izaya said angrily, rubbing his tail, "Ah, when I tried to get away from _you _I landed on it."

"Jeez, it's just a tail, I don't get why you freak out over me touching it. Now why did you wake me up, it's the middle of the night," Shizuo said, watching Izaya rub his tail.

"Ah, yes, the demon should be here soon. I figured we should wait for it, catch it, kill it, and then be off tomorrow," He said, looking up at Shizuo and smiling.

"Okay. I'm sorry about…you know. It's kind of a habit, I just do that when I'm asleep," Shizuo said, scratching the back of his head and smiling sheepishly.

"Alright, I'll just have to find another way to wake you up. By the way, you taste gross," Izaya replied, sticking out his tongue in disgust.

"What kind of a weirdo tastes someone? Maybe now you won't try to bite me!" Shizuo said, standing up and glaring at Izaya.

"Well, blood just tastes gross in general, and why would I want to do that again? There was nothing else I could do! If you had touched my tail for any longer, I would have completely lost it!" Izaya whispered loudly, waving his arms in the air.

"Lost what? Your sanity? I think that's _long _gone," Shizuo said, pursing his lips in frustration.

"Don't ask. Let's just kill this demon and get back to sleep," Izaya said, already walking out the door and down the stairs, Shizuo following behind with his arms crossed grumpily. Izaya suddenly stopped halfway down the stairs, and Shizuo walked straight into him. They both toppled down the stairs, rolling over each other and trying to be quiet the whole way. When they landed, they were both out of breath and Shizuo was straddling Izaya.

"What the hell are you thinking, stopping in the middle of the stairs like that?" Shizuo said, glaring down at Izaya.

"Why didn't you stop! You practically crushed me, I could have broken something!" Izaya yelled at Shizuo angrily.

"Well, that's what you ge-," They stopped their bickering short as they heard a loud laughing. Their eyes had adjusted and in the corner of the room, they saw a small figure doubled over laughing.

It looked like a small man, except his skin was tinged a light yellow, almost pure white. His hair was a vibrant red, and it spiked out in all directions, while his eyes were white. You could tell where the iris was because it had black seeping into the white, so his eye color was like a zebra. The weirdest thing about him, however, was his fingernails. They were as long as his hand, but they didn't curl. He was wearing a brown tunic, brown pants, and gloves that left his fingers exposed.

"Well, you two seem to be _very _close!" The man said, wiping a tear from his eye as he stopped laughing, "You two rolled down the stairs like sacks of potatoes! And you should see how you look right now. You both look like fish, and the blonde is sitting on you like he owns you! Oh god, I can't stop laughing!" He clutched his stomach and started laughing again.

Shizuo and Izaya both looked at each other, realized how they were sitting, and scrambled away, blushes on both of their faces.

"W-who the hell are you?" Shizuo said after helping Izaya stand up.

"Oh, how rude I am! I am the Shlork, at your service," He said, bowing so low it had to be a joke. Sure enough, he stood back up with a smirk on his face, "I would have taken off as soon as I heard noise, but I haven't had a laugh this good in ages! I mean, look at you two, it's so awkward now!"

"So you're the demon we were hired to get rid of?" Izaya asked, glaring at Shlork.

"Probably. I've been driving this sucker bonkers for weeks! He's tried to tell people, but then he just looks crazier. The look on his face when I switch everything back! Priceless," Shlork said, smiling evilly.

"How do you do that? You're so…" Shizuo almost said 'short', but he didn't want to offend the creature.

"Short, tiny, small, yeah, I know. I do it with the help of these babies," He said, and started making odd designs in the air with his fingernails, resulting in a chair moving across the room.

"Okay, Shlork, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. Either way, you need to leave Mikado alone," Izaya said, placing his hands in his pockets.

"My name isn't Shlork, that's what I am. My name is Kazuichirou, but you can call me Kazu," He said, grinning to show his sharp teeth, "And why do I need to leave?"

"Because. We were paid to do so, and if you don't leave then we have to kill you," Izaya said, sighing.

"But…I got nowhere else to go. Why do you think I stay in peoples' houses at night? Besides, if I came in the day, they'd probably hit me with a broom or something just 'cause I'm a demon," Kazu said, frowning to himself.

"Well, you could come with us," Shizuo said, stepping forward, "We're just traveling around, looking for a woman named Izumi."

"Shizu-chan, what are you thinking?" Izaya said, frowning at Shizuo's sudden outburst.

"_Shizu-chan_? Where the _fuck _did that come from?" Shizuo said, looking at Izaya like the imp had lost his mind.

"Wait, are you serious? You're not pulling my leg or something, are you? Last time someone said that, I got stuck in this damn town here, they left me in the forest thinking they'd killed me," Kazu said, looking at the two bickering men skeptically, "Besides, wouldn't I just be a bother to your relationship?" When he said this, he smirked.

"_relationship?_" Izaya and Shizuo said simultaneously, looking at Kazu with wide eyes, their jaws on the floor.

"Hahaha! Oh god, I was joking, but maybe I was right~!" He clutched his stomach in an attempt to stop his laughter, but failed epically.

"Like I'd ever be with that Protozoan head! I'm no homophobe, but that's just too far," Izaya said, pointing at Shizuo.

"Same goes for you, arrow-ass," Shizuo said, glaring at Izaya.

"Arrow-ass? What the _fuck_," The imp said, his mouth hanging open like a fish.

"Yeah. I called you arrow-ass, arrow-ass. 'Cause you have an _arrow _coming out of your _ass_," Shizuo repeated, laughing along with Kazu.

"My tail is _not _coming out of my ass! It-it comes from my tailbone! And don't call it an arrow, it makes me an imp! How could you be so mean, Shizu-chan?" Izaya said, hugging his tail defensively.

"Whatever you say, arrow-ass. So, you want to come with us or not, Kazu?" Shizuo said, turning back to the demon with a smile on his face. He was proud that he had found a nickname for Izaya since the imp had opted for calling him 'Shizu-chan'.

"Yeah, sure. I may be small, but I'm fast enough to keep up. Maybe faster," He said, flashing a smile, "And don't worry, I don't like traveling with insane people, so I'll leave your stuff alone."

"Cool. We take off, tomorrow, Kazu. If you really want to come, then meet us infront of the shop in the morning," Shizuo said.

"Kay~ See you then. Wait, what are your names again?" Kazu turned at the last second to look at them.

"Oh. I'm Shizuo, this is Izaya," Shizuo said, smiling at Kazu.

"Alright. See you, Shizuo, Izaya," Kazu said as he turned and left the shop.

"I have no idea what you were thinking, Shizu-chan," Izaya huffed, biting the inside of his cheek.

"Well, the more the merrier. Let's get back to bed," Shizuo said, and without thinking, he reached out to grab Izaya's hand. He held it firmly, and led Izaya upstairs, only letting go to lay down in his own bed.

Izaya settle under his covers, staring at the hand Shizuo had held. His hand felt…warm. He smiled, and fell asleep with his hand on his chest, still smiling.

**Mikachi: haha, Izaya's new nickname just completely came out of the blue. I was thinking 'pointy ears' or 'pointy tail' and my train of thought went pretty much like this- 'pointy tail…tail…his tail is an arrow…tails come from near the ass...ARROW-ASS. yes, that will be his nickname. Izaya- the great Arrow-ass' it was too funny xD I giggled out loud and my mom heard me through the baby monitor next to me(I'm next to my bro, who's asleep right now) and she was like 'I don't want to know.' ^u^ I'm proud at how long this chapter is. Longest one yet. I almost split it in two where the '-(-)-' is, but then this would be the shortest chapter yet. Funny how that switched around xD Kazu, a.k.a. The Shlork, came from my creature dictionary, he's the first one i made :D Weird lil fucker xD But i got the idea that he moves stuff around to drive people insane from my mom. I asked her what he should do to mess with people and she instantly said'move stuff when theyre not looking'.i loved it.**


	7. On The Road Again

**Mikachi: Sorry for the wait. I'm kinda in a…typy mood xD so this chapter will probably be done pretty quick. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own DuRaRaRA!**

On the Road Again

Izaya sat on a rock next to the river, munching on his yummy fish. He smiled widely in pride at the fact he had caught it himself. His tail swished back and forth in happiness, but this was not his usual tail. Izaya stopped mid-chomp and looked back at his tail. It was covered in black fir and had a little bell tied to the end. Dropping the fish, he touched the top of his head with both hands. There, under his hands, were two fluffy cat ears. He opened his mouth and found two sharp canines.

"What is going on here-nya?" He asked himself out loud, looking around in confusion.

"I-za-ya-! Where are you, boy?" Called a familiar voice. Izaya's ears perked up in happiness, but he couldn't place the voice until someone walked out from the trees.

"Izaya! There you are! You cheeky boy, you shouldn't run off like that," Shizuo said, smiling. He sat down by the river and pulled Izaya into his lap, hugging him to his chest.

"Sh-shizuo, what are you doing-nya?" Izaya asked, pushing on Shizuo's chest to try to escape.

"Hugging my pet, of course," He said, smiling like he had something planned. Suddenly, he grabbed Izaya's chin and kissed him.

"W-what are you doing?" Izaya shouted as they broke apart, eyes wide. He was about to get up when Shizuo placed a hand on his lower back, "N-no, stop, Shizu-Mmmph!"

Izaya placed a hand over his mouth and closed his eyes as Shizuo pet his tail.

"Come now, don't hide those adorable noises," Shizuo whispered in his ear, making Izaya purr. Shizuo peeled his hand away from his mouth and leaned in to kiss him again when Izaya started shaking. It was as if some invisible force were grabbing him by the shoulders and shaking him back and forth.

…

"Izaya, wake up already. It's time to leave," Shizuo said as he shook Izaya by the shoulders, "Waaaaake uuuuup."

Izaya suddenly opened his eyes, his face completely red and his breathing harsh. He glanced around the room until he saw Shizuo sitting on his bed in front of him.

"Get away!" He shouted, scattering backwards on all four limbs.

"Alright, alright. You were making weird noises in your sleep, so I thought you were having a nightmare," Shizuo said, putting his hands in the air next to his head, "What were you dreaming about, anyways?"

"Ah, n-nothing," Izaya said, scratching his cheek with one finger and looking away from Shizuo with a blush on his face.

"Mhmm. Sure," Shizuo said, rolling his eyes, "It's time to leave, let's get out of this place."

"What, you don't like it here?" Izaya asked, smiling.

"Nope," Shizuo said. He turned and was about to walk out the bedroom door when an odd noise reached his ears from the window. Turning back to Izaya, he said, "Did you hear that?"

"Yeah, it sounded like a bowstring," Izaya said, already getting up and looking out the window, "Mikado's practicing archery, who knew. And he's pretty good."

"Oh, wow, bull's eye," Shizuo said next to Izaya's ear. In reality, he was looking over Izaya's shoulder, but Izaya still remembered his dream vividly and nearly jumped out of his skin. He hadn't seen or heard Shizuo walk up behind him and lean over his shoulder, so it startled him all the more.

"What's up with you, arrow-ass?" Shizuo said, standing up straight and looking at Izaya sideways.

"Nothing. Come on, let's go~," Izaya said, grabbing his bag and skipping down the stairs.

"Weirdo," Shizuo muttered under his breath.

"I heard that."

"What the fuck?" Shizuo shouted indignantly.

"Haha, you forget I have great hearing," Izaya said, sticking his tongue out at Shizuo. Shizuo responded by giving Izaya a great view of his middle finger.

Izaya walked into the backyard with Shizuo and waited until Mikado shot his arrow to call him.

"Mikado! We're leaving now!" Izaya shouted, cupping his hands to make himself louder. They both watched as Mikado set down his quiver and bow and walked over to them.

"Ah, you got rid of the demon? That was fast," Mikado said, leading them both inside.

"Well, more or less. We're taking him with us," Izaya said, smiling cheekily.

"Oh. Well, as long as he's not here, I'm happy. Here, for your journey," He said as he handed Izaya a loaf of bread.

"Why thank you, Mikado~. Well, we should be heading off now. Goodbye," Izaya waved as he turned around.

"Ah, wait, are you going east by any chance?" Mikado said, twirling his thumbs.

"Who wants to know?" Izaya said, looking at Mikado suspiciously.

"Oh, I have a friend that went missing a few years ago. I've heard rumors that he's a few days east, but I can't leave my shop. I was wondering if you could tell him where I am if you happen to cross paths," Mikado said, biting his lip and looking at them hopefully.

"Yeah, sure. What's his name?" Shizuo said before Izaya could say something mean.

"Masaomi Kida. He's blonde, usually wears yellow, and flirts with girls a lot. He shouldn't be too hard to find. Thank you, Izaya and Shizuo," Mikado said quickly, smiling.

"Ah, no problem. It isn't out of our way, so why not?" Shizuo said, putting an arm around Izaya's shoulder and leaning on him in a buddy-buddy way. They walked out of the store like that, talking about getting a map, when they heard a familiar voice.

"Well, well, well. Are you two flirting again?" Kazu asked, smirking at them. He was sitting on top of a barrel and swinging his legs back and forth, looking much like a child.

Shizuo and Izaya jumped away from each other at the same time, earning a laugh from the small demon next to them.

"Ahh, fuck you, Kazu," Izaya joked, laughing a bit.

"That's not nice, arrow-ass," Kazu said, placing a hand on his chest as if his feelings were hurt.

"Hey, hey, only I get to call him arrow-ass," Shizuo chided, picking up Kazu by the back of his shirt and laughing. They had started walking east already, and would be out of the town soon.

"Nobody gets to call me that, you assholes!" Izaya tried to scowl at the two, but ended up laughing at the sight of Kazu hanging limply in Shizuo's hold.

"Holy shit, how tall are you, Shizuo? It's freaky being this high off the ground!" Kazu yelled, turning and holding onto Shizuo's arm for dear life.

"I don't know. Tall? Taller than arrow-ass, that's for sure," Shizuo said, smirking at Izaya.

"Quit it," Izaya said, biting his lip, "Kazu, you look like a little kid, hanging from Shizuo's arm like that."

"Shut up! You try being held up this high," Kazu said, frowning and flipping off every person that stared as they passed. They couldn't be blamed, a tall blonde man was holding his left arm straight out and a small yellow boy with bright red hair was clinging to it like a lifeline. It wasn't something they saw every day.

"Oh, hey, it looks like they might have maps here," Shizuo said as they passed a small shop. He lifted Kazu onto his shoulders much like a father would and walked into the shop. As soon as Kazu was released, he clung tightly to Shizuo's hair.

"Excuse me, do you have a map of this region?" Shizuo asked as he walked up to the counter. The man at the counter looked up at the strange sight, a bead of sweat rolling down his face.

"Yes, of course, sir. That would be eight coins," He said, pulling a rolled up piece of paper from a shelf behind him. Shizuo handed the man eight coins from his pocket and left the shop. Izaya was waiting outside for them, looking content as he watched people go about their business.

"You are so creepy, watching people like that," Shizuo said, chuckling as he ducked under the doorframe, Kazu still on his shoulders.

"You are so weird, carrying a tiny man on your shoulders like that," Izaya mimicked, pointing at Kazu.

"Hey! It's only 'til we get to the forest. Then I can walk on my own," Kazu said, flipping Izaya his middle finger.

"What's the difference between town and forest, hmm?" Izaya said, looking at Kazu with one eyebrow raised.

"I travel faster using trees. The ground is so boring, I'd travel any way other than walking on the ground," Kazu said, frowning.

"Is that why you're not bothered about being on my shoulders?" Shizuo asked, chuckling.

"Yep. Pretty much. Are we almost out of town yet?" Kazu asked, looking at Izaya for an answer.

"Yeah, the forest is right there," He said, pointing at the trees ahead, "I'm looking at the map and the next town east of here is Stonegate."

"Wonder if we'll find that kid, Masamo," Shizuo said.

"I think it was Masaomi," Kazu said, poking the back of Shizuo's head.

"Hey, are you kids headed into the forest?" A man called from in front of the house they were passing.

"Yeah," Shizuo called back, looking over at the man curiously.

"You might not want to do that. There's been a lot of animal attacks lately," The man said, looking at them worriedly.

"I'm sure we'll be fine, but thanks for warning us," Shizuo said, waving at the man and continuing into the forest.

They had walked a few feet into the forest when Kazu abruptly stood up on Shizuo's shoulder and grabbed a tree branch, swinging himself into a tree.

"Woohoo! Trees are my favorite way of travel," He said, showing his pointy teeth in a large smile. Izaya and Shizuo looked at each other, looked back at Kazu, and started laughing.

"What?" Kazu said, looking confused.

"I thought you said you hated heights!" Shizuo yelled up at him.

"Trees are different," Kazu said stubbornly, crossing his arms.

"Yeah, sure they are, Kazu," Izaya said, rolling his eyes.

"Let's get moving. I want to get some distance while it's still light out," Shizuo said and started walking, Izaya next to him and Kazu above them.

**Mikachi: So, how did it turn out~? :D Did they get along too quickly? Idk, it was just easy to write them together :L Review, it keeps the plot bunnies fed. Wouldn't want them starving, ne~? By the way, for any other FF writers out there, is it normal to take a few hours to write a chapter?**


	8. The River

**Mikachi: sorry for typos if there are too many. I kinda tried to front flip into a summersault on my bed…didn't turn out too well for my poor neck…plus I just woke up, and it always hurts worse in the mornings :\ So, sorry for any mistakes xD**

**Disclaimer: I do not own DuRaRaRa!**

The River

"Are we there yet?" Kazu asked, hanging upside down on a tree branch.

"I don't know, does it look like we're there yet?" Izaya asked sarcastically, yawning.

"If Stonegate is a bunch of trees, then yes. Yes it does," Kazu answered, sticking his tongue out.

"I think we're all just tired. It's almost sunset, so start looking for a place to camp," Shizuo said, glaring at the two bickering men.

"Ah, fine," Kazu said, flipping off of his perch and landing on Shizuo's shoulders as he passed, "My feet hurt, so mind if I hitch a ride?"

"Fine with me. You weigh, like, two pounds," Shizuo said, laughing. Kazu suddenly froze and tilted his head, listening to something.

"I hear water~! There should be a river…that way!" He said, pointing ahead. Shizuo nodded and started walking a bit faster.

"We could probably camp next to it if there's a clearing. I hope it's a clean water source," Shizuo said, grabbing Izaya by the wrist and jogging as he saw a break in the trees ahead of them.

They all stepped into a small clearing next to a steady stream. There were fish swimming in the water, and a few large rocks big enough to sit on.

"This place looks pretty nice! And look, we found it just in time," Kazu said, grabbing Izaya's wrist and running over to the rocks, pointing at the sunset. Kazu sat down on the largest rock he could find and looked at the fish swimming in the river. Shizuo immediately started setting up a fire. And Izaya stood there with something tugging at the back of his mind. He stood on one of the larger rocks and spun around, taking in the area. He knew this place…squatting on the rock, he looked out at the river, and it hit him. This was in his dream! The one where…that…happened. A blush spread across his face as he stood and spun around quickly. He hadn't seen Shizuo sneak up behind him, however, and shouted in surprise as he fell back into the cold water.

"Fuck!" Izaya shouted, and started whining, "This water is so cold! What the fuck, it was a warm day! Why the fuck is it so cold?!"

"Are you okay? Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," Shizuo said as he held out his hand, leaning over the rocks and trying to stifle a laugh. Kazu, however, was not shy to laugh at all. He was doubled over choking from laughter.

"Shut up you stupid fucking short stack!" Izaya yelled angrily at Kazu, who now looked at him, shocked.

"Hey, you're short, too! You're only, like, a foot taller than me! And Shizuo's a fucking giant, so ask him if you're short," Kazu retaliated, showing Izaya his middle finger.

"Hey, both of you, shut up. If we're going to be traveling for god knows how long together, then we need to get along. And what do you mean I'm a giant?" Shizuo asked after a short pause. He set Izaya down next to the fire he had made and wrapped a jacket around the imp's small frame.

"Ah, I think my tail got frostbite. Is it moving?" Izaya asked, making a concentrated face at the fire. Shizuo checked behind Izaya, and was surprised to see the tail holding still for once.

"No. Why?" Shizuo asked, looking back at Izaya.

"Shit. Shit, shit, shit. I was just moving it. Well, trying to. Fuck," Izaya said, biting his lip. His tail was currently on the ground behind him, curving slightly towards Shizuo. When they weren't looking, Kazu had run into the woods snickering, shouting a 'Going to look for firewood' before he disappeared from sight.

"You just need to get some blood running through it. Here," Shizuo said as he scooted closer to Izaya and started rubbing his tail. Izaya sucked in a massive amount of breath because he still had some feeling in his tail. He tried to keep quiet as pleasure ripped up and down his spine, making him shiver. He gradually got feeling back in his tail, which just made the pleasure multiply tenfold.

"Are you okay?" Shizuo asked, confused at Izaya's sudden silence, just noticing how still and quiet he was. He listened closely and realized that Izaya wasn't even breathing, "Izaya! Breathe!"

Shizuo stopped what he was doing and placed a hand on either side of Izaya's face, pushing his face closer than necessary. Izaya looked redder than possible, from both not breathing and the heated pleasure still coursing through his body. He finally passed out from not breathing, slumping into Shizuo's chest.

"Shit, Izaya, are you okay? Wake up, what's wrong?" Shizuo asked, completely clueless. Izaya soon started stirring, and looked up at him.

"You touched my fucking tail. I don't care what's going on. You don't touch the tail unless it's turning purple and I'm immobile. Don't. Touch. The. Fucking. Tail," Izaya hissed the last part, shakily getting off of Shizuo and breathing harshly.

"I'm sorry, okay? It was an impulse, I thought you wouldn't be too happy if your tail fell off. Sorry for caring," Shizuo said, sticking his tongue out. Izaya paused in his shivering to look at Shizuo with surprise.

"I…thanks. Sorry, but there's a reason for my behavior about my tail," Izaya said, and after a moment looked sheepish and said, "I hope you understand that I don't really want to tell you…It's kind of awkward…"

"It's cool. It can't be good if you pass out, though. Wait, you passed out from not breathing. Why would you hold your breath to that extent?" Shizuo asked, raising his eyebrows in confusion at Izaya.

"Ah, um…uh…," He started looking around for some excuse to not tell Shizuo, and was glad when Kazu walked into the clearing, carrying as much firewood as he could handle.

"Hey guys. What's goin' on here?" Kazu asked, pausing next to the fire and setting down the firewood.

"Nothing. I'm going to sleep," Izaya said quickly, and spoke something in elven, three vine hammocks stretching across the clearing. He quickly vaulted into one and pulled the leafy blanket over his head.

"Well. That was odd, but I guess he's right," Kazu said, yawning and jumping into his own hammock, rolling over and falling fast asleep. Shizuo looked at both of them, rolled his eyes, and laid down himself. He fell asleep thinking about what had happened with Izaya.

**Mikachi: So, can anyone make a guess about why Izaya is so sensitive over his tail? eUe It's actually kind of pervy, but I think that much was obvious xD Well, ciao pplz~**


	9. Explosives and Rude Awakenings

**Mikachi: I'm sorry if this chapter kind of sucked, I wasn't in a happy mood when I tried to write this :\ school's starting soon, so…I think that sums it up xD**

**Disclaimer: I do not own DuRaRaRa!**

Explosives and Rude Awakenings

To say Izaya was rudely awakened was an understatement. He woke up in midair. One minute he was having a peaceful sleep, thankfully dreamless, the next he feels like he's falling. Which he was. Izaya opened his eyes and saw that he was above the river. To be clear, some sort of muscle-bull-demon had grabbed him by the leg and thrown him up in the air sideways-frisbee-style so that he was spinning obnoxiously. So he flew in an arc until he realized that this was probably going to hurt if he didn't do something soon.

"Shit! Catch, catch, catch! Fuck," Izaya said as he got closer and closer to the ground. He realized he was speaking in English.

"Woah, woah, woah!" Kazu shouted from above him indignantly. The demon had apparently thrown him the same way. Izaya got his bearings straight, said something in elven, and watched as vines stretched to catch him and Kazu.

"Urgggh. Bastard…gonna pay," Kazu said, his head lolling around and his face green.

"No shit, Sherlock," Izaya responded, then realized something, "Where's Shizu-chan?"

Kazu got his bearings straight, looked at Izaya with wide eyes, and said "Fuck."

Looking back to the other bank, he saw that Shizuo was running in circles around the beast like mad. It would have been a funny sight if he weren't in danger.

"I could use a little help!" Shizuo shouted as he kept running. Izaya couldn't help but let out a small snicker before speaking to the vines. Soon, the vines bended into a sort of sling-shot and flung he and Kazu across the river. They landed roughly, rolling and laughing and covered in dust. When they came to a stop, they sat up, looked at each other, and cracked up laughing.

"Help me, you assholes!" Shizuo said angrily as he came running by them, grabbing the back of their shirts and carrying them like it was nothing.

"Uh, you realize that you have a fat ass sword hanging off your belt, right?" Kazu pointed out, raising an eyebrow.

"…Yeah, I knew that. This is just good exercise," Shizuo said sheepishly as he kept running, "But I'm not gonna beat this thing on my own. And I'm running out of steam."

"Alright, alright. That's one of my special talents~ Tell me, do you guys have any weapons? Even a knife would work," Kazu said, looking at Izaya.

"Yeah. I have a knife in my pack," Izaya said, pointing at the bag on the ground. As Shizuo ran past, he kicked it into the air with his foot. The pack flew into the air, but landed in Kazu's lap. He reached in and grabbed a knife, but Izaya stopped him.

"Not that one, the other one," Izaya said, taking the knife and putting it in a pack attached to his belt. Kazu took out another knife and smiled, nodding happily.

"This'll work. You guys ready to rumble?" Kazu said looking at the other two. They nodded and jumped apart, Shizuo unsheathing his sword.

…

"Well, that was random. And you're pretty good at fighting with that little pocket knife of yours," Kazu said, walking up to the now-dead beast and poking it with a stick.

"It's a shame I had to get it dirty with this thing's blood, though," Izaya said, frowning and washing it in the river.

"Oh, here. I almost forgot to give it back," Kazu said, holding the knife towards Izaya.

"Nah, keep it. You made pretty good use of it considering it's a kitchen knife," Izaya said.

"I didn't know you used knives. That would've been nice to know," Shizuo said, twirling his sword and sheathing it.

"I don't. This is the first time I've used a knife," Kazu said.

"What do you mean? You flicked that thing around like you've never used anything else," Izaya said, looking at Kazu with surprise.

"That's the thing about being a Shlork. I can use any weapon like I've trained with it for years. Pretty cool, huh?" Kazu said, giving a triumphant smile.

"I bet that comes in handy, huh?" Shizuo said, and after a pause, asked, "Do you have a favorite weapon, though?"

"Yep. I tend to like stuff with fire, like explosives. Heheheh," Kazu gave an evil smile and rubbed his hands together.

"Okay…Well, we'll have to keep you away from exploding stuff," Izaya said, looking at Kazu nervously.

"Don't bother. I could take a tree branch, water, and a few rocks and make it into an explosive if I wanted to," Kazu said, rolling his eyes.

"…Now that's talent," Shizuo said, shaking his head.

"I doubt that. Let's see it," Izaya said, picking up three rocks, a tree branch, and setting them next to the river. A few minutes later, sure enough, there was a large black spot on the ground where grass used to grow. Kazu was dancing in a tree and cackling like a madman.

"What the fuck? How is that possible?!" Izaya yelled, looking at the spot incredulously.

"Easy! You do this and that and boom!" Kazu said, waving his hands and laughing again, "I fucking LOVE explosives!"

"Okay…well…we should probably…get going now…yeah…" Shizuo said awkwardly.

"Whatever. I'm just going to pretend that he never turned three not-even-potentially-dangerous things of nature into a bomb. Nope, never happened. Let's just skip into the woods and sing about flowers and cupcakes. Tralala," Izaya said, grabbing his bag and starting to walk into the forest.

"Come on, you crazy pyro. Time to go," Shizuo said, waving at Kazu to follow them. He was smiling for the rest of the journey all the way until they saw a town in the distance.

"Hey, that must be it," Izaya said, already over the events of earlier that day.

"Yes! Finally," Kazu said, doing a fist pump. He jumped onto Shizuo shoulders and sat like a child again, making Shizuo roll his eyes.

"You are _so _weird," Izaya said, biting his tongue to keep from laughing at Shizuo.

"Not a word, arrow-ass. Not even one," Shizuo said, elbowing Izaya in the side.

"Pfft. Fine," Izaya said, letting out a small laugh.

They continued towards the village, getting there somewhere around noon.

**Mikachi: Okay, I decided not to write the battle scene. Was it better that way, or should I write battle scenes? I want responses! Hope you enjoyed, and again, sorry if it was boring. I was kind of in a 'I'm boooooooreeeeed' mood when I wrote the last bit xD IK, I'll make it a poll. As soon as I post this chapter, I'll put a poll on my profile for you guys. Please vote~? 8)**


End file.
